Predicting total body water and extracellular fluid volumes from bioelectrical measurements of the human body.

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Abstract
Two biological impedance analyzers, a 50 kHz (RJL) and 20-100 kHz (BMA) instrument, and a total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC) instrument were used to estimate total body water (TBW), extracellular (ECF) and intracellular (ICF) fluid volumes by repeated measurements of 16 normal men (19-38 years old) to assess which, if any, would provide the best estimates. At 3-week intervals, TBW was determined by deuterium dilution, ECF by bromide dilution, ICF by difference (TBW-ECF) and lean body mass by density. Prediction equations were obtained by regression; predicted values for the body fluid volumes were calculated and the results were statistically evaluated. Both the TOBEC and the BMA provided rapid and reliable estimates for body fluid volumes with standard errors of the estimates of about 0.5-1.1 L for ECF, 1.0-1.8 L for TBW, and 1.0-1.3 L for ICF. Part of the error was attributable to standard tracer-dilution methods.